Rural Affairs

Rural Delivery Review Frequently Asked Questions

Rural Strategy 2004 Overview
Policy and Delivery
New Countryside Agency
Rural Proofing
Regional Prioritisation
Local Delivery Pathfinders
Regional Development Agencies
Government Offices
Local Government
Voluntary and Community Sector
Parish Councils
Regional Assemblies
A Strong Rural Voice - Listened to by Government
Streamlining Rural Funding Streams and Advice
Integrated Agency
Bio-diversity and Natural Resource Protection
Forestry Commission
Regulation and Agriculture
Better Regulation
Levy Boards
Reducing Burdens on Rural Businesses
Rural Definition

Rural Strategy 2004 Overview

What does the Strategy do?

The Rural Strategy explains our policy priorities in detail, and sets out a clear action plan, especially to target our effort and resources at the areas and people that need help the most. The Strategy also sets out our radical agenda for modernising the arrangements for delivering our policies. This builds on Lord Haskins’ Review of Rural Delivery published last November, which provided compelling evidence as to why improvements needed to be made.

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How will you identify those in greatest need?

With difficulty, but we are taking certain steps to help. By devolving decisions and delivery closer to the customer, we will be relying on the local and specialist knowledge of delivery bodies who understand the particular needs of their region - like local authorities and the voluntary and community sector. It will be for people at the regional and local level to identify those areas and people who need help the most and so better target resources.

In addition, our new research showing the changing nature of rural communities and economies - which underpins Rural Strategy 2004 - and the development of a new and more sophisticated definition of what constitutes ‘rural’, will provide the evidence base and the tools to make pinpointing those in greatest need easier.

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Why is it so difficult?

Rural social exclusion and deprivation tends to be more highly dispersed than in urban areas, making socio-economic analysis of rural communities and economies inherently more difficult. For this reason, rural deprivation can only in part be dealt with through area-based initiatives. Instead, action must be focused on excluded people and communities wherever they exist - including in otherwise prosperous areas.

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Why a new rural definition?

Until now, there has been no generally accepted definition of rural. The new definition - which is being published today alongside Rural Strategy 2004 - is the first nationally-agreed, Government-wide definition of rural. It is a national statistic, validated following a public web-based validation exercise and marks a huge step forward in developing our evidence base and statistical toolkit for identifying rural areas.

One of weaknesses identified by Ministers soon after the creation of Defra, and confirmed by Lord Haskins, was a lack of evidence especially at local level to inform effective rural policy and delivery; and no generally accepted definition of rural England. A review carried out in 2002 showed that existing urban/rural definitions failed to describe rural areas satisfactorily as a basis for analysis and targeting policy delivery. Work triggered by the review to produce a new definition has now provided a means to describe modern rural England at a level which helps to pinpoint those in greatest need and enables policy to be targeted accordingly.

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Will the Strategy mean getting rid of all national initiatives?

No. National standards will remain - for example to ensure rural communities have equitable access to services, or to ensure national and international standards on environmental quality are met. This may in some cases means a standard approach across England. In other cases, however, especially on social and economic issues, a more localised or targeted approach will better deliver what is needed. This means empowering regional and local bodies with decision-making and delivery.

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How will you know that it’s making a difference?

The Strategy will be regularly assessed to ensure that policy and delivery on the ground are meeting needs, and leading to real benefits for people, communities and businesses. An evaluation framework for measuring outcomes under the Rural Strategy is a key part of the overall approach.

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Where can people find out more?

A copy of the Rural Strategy 2004 can be found on the Defra website along with the full reports and background on the Rural Delivery Review, the Funding Streams Review, fact sheets and other detailed information. The new rural definition can be found on the Office for National Statistics website at: www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/nrud.asp.

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Policy and Delivery

Are you going to separate policy and delivery?

Dogmatic separation is not the answer. Through Defra’s Delivery Strategy, we are introducing a new model for partnership between policy makers and deliverers, which describes the discrete responsibilities of both, and the principles which should underpin the relationship. It devolves delivery as far as possible to the front line, to ensure it is attuned to local needs. It identifies five key principles that embed collaborative working, strong communications and clear accountabilities between policy and delivery.

These are:

  • deliverers inform policy development and decision-making.
  • outcomes and targets agreed with deliverers before publication.
  • policy rationale understood and championed by both.
  • deliverers empowered to get on with delivery, held to account by monitoring, audit and inspection.
  • strong two-way communication with deliverers reporting back regularly to policy leads on the achievement of outcomes.

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How is Defra going to reorganise itself?

Through the Delivery Strategy, Defra will transfer operational functions from the Defra policy core to delivery bodies. This will leave a smaller policy core responsible for strategy, outcomes and analysis, which manages delivery through partnership with others. This process will be complete by March 2008, by when it will have reduced the size of the core Department by around 50% overall.

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What changes will happen quickly?

By April 2005, Defra will:

  • assume responsibility for all rural and forestry policy development and decisions;
  • move the Rural Development Service out of the policy core of Defra, providing it with greater autonomy and devolved authority for decision-making and delivery, as befits a distinct delivery organisation; and
  • better mainstream the Government’s response to rural socio-economic needs and better target deprivation in lagging rural areas by devolving decision-making to regions and funding to Regional Development Agencies.
  • Build on work with the rural voluntary and community sector through programmes to be delivered by Defra and through Government Offices.

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And in the longer term?

By March 2008, Defra will refocus and streamline the Defra HQ policy function through implementing its Delivery Strategy and further work on reviewing the policy centre of the department. This will ensure that policy-makers focus on high-level policy objectives, deciding upon allocation of resources to meet policy priorities, and strategic performance management, but deliver through others.

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What role do delivery bodies have in setting targets?

Our delivery agents will be closely involved in the development of our key objectives and targets. They have been in SR04, and will continue to be. That is a key principle of Defra's Delivery Strategy.

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Will you give delivery bodies more flexibility over the use of resources?

The approach set out in Defra's Delivery Strategy involves Defra setting broad outcomes and empowering delivery bodies to deliver them. Core Defra will not micro manage. This is reflected in the simplification of funding streams, and will give delivery bodies more flexibility on how they use resources.

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How are you improving policy officials’ awareness of delivery?

This is important. We are introducing formal delivery awareness training for policy officials. We are increasing secondments of policy officials to deliver bodies and vice versa. And we are reviewing the appraisal process to ensure delivery awareness and related skills feature more prominently.

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Will you ensure Government targets are rural proofed?

The Rural Strategy 2004 is a Government document, agreed across Whitehall. Defra is working with other Government Departments to improve the evidence base on rural issues and to agree how Departmental priorities can be delivered equitably in rural areas. We will work with OGDs to introduce regular reporting on progress towards relevant PSA targets. And we will work with RDAs and local authorities through the tasking framework and second generation local PSAs respectively.

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How are you using IT to help?

The Defra IT strategy - the E-nabling programme - will significantly increase Defra’s ability to monitor programme expenditure and costs more effectively.

As part of this strategy, we will develop common registries for land, livestock and customer information.

More specifically, the introduction of England Rural Development Programme IT systems will result in greater efficiency in delivering the England Rural Development Programme and significantly increase our ability to manipulate core management data.

Defra has selected IBM as its preferred IT services partner. The contract will run for seven to ten years with an option to extend for a further seven years.

IBM will support Defra by managing, supporting and improving its desktop IT infrastructure, managing and supporting Defra's business systems, developing a portfolio of new business systems, and providing a continuous source of technology and business process innovation.

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New Countryside Agency

How will the New Countryside Agency be different from its predecessor - what is the need it is designed to address and who will benefit as a result of its creation?

The New Countryside Agency will build upon the successes of the Countryside Agency and the Rural Advocate, but will be more closely focused on meeting its advisory, advocacy and watchdog functions for the benefit of rural people, communities and businesses, especially those suffering disadvantage, and based on the principles of sustainable development.

These changes mean that it will fulfil a role that no other organisation can do.

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What Countryside Agency functions transfer where and when?

By April 2005, Defra will have assumed responsibility for all rural policy development. The Countryside Agency’s rural regeneration work will be transferred to RDAs. Resources to support the rural voluntary and community sector will largely be administered by the regional Government Offices.

From the same date, the Countryside Agency’s environmental, landscape, access and recreational Division will come together with English Nature and the Rural Development Service, which will also be in the future Integrated Agency, to create a confederation of partners under a common overarching vision and purpose.

The New Countryside Agency will be established as a distinct body within the Countryside Agency’s legal framework, by April 2005. The aim is to formalise the new Integrated Agency and changes to the Countryside Agency in law by 2007, subject to the parliamentary timetable for primary legislation.

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What legislation is needed to cover the establishment of the New Countryside Agency?

Legislation will be necessary to divest responsibilities from the Countryside Agency and to ensure that the future status of the new agency fully matches its new role, enabling it to carry this out most effectively.

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How big will the New Countryside Agency be and what will be its budget?

The detailed size, design and organisation of the new Countryside Agency has yet to be determined. We will learn from high-profile and well-respected expert bodies such as the National Consumer Council and the National Employment Panel, although we would expect the new Countryside Agency to have a larger budget than these bodies; something approaching £10 million.

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Rural Proofing

Who is responsible for rural proofing?

Policy-makers themselves are responsible for seeing that the effects of their policies are not detrimental to rural areas, and that the benefits are delivered equitably across urban and rural areas.

Defra leads in government on rural proofing policy. But the New Countryside Agency and Government Offices will also have a role.

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What will be the role of the New Countryside Agency in rural proofing?

The New Countryside Agency will monitor and challenge government at all levels, checking that rural proofing is being done, and is delivering results for rural communities and people.

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What will be the role of Government Offices in rural proofing?

Defra will ask each Government Office to broker and bring forward proposals for a regional framework for delivering rural policies by April 2005, working with regional and local partners. Among the key policy principles will be the adoption of mechanisms to ensure the arrangements are consistent with other regional strategies and that they are mutually reinforcing, with all regional strategies ‘rural proofed’. The Government Offices, through their role as brokers and subsequently leaders of the process, will be able to make sure that all partners at regional and local level rural proof their strategies and actions.

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What did the recent Countryside Agency report on rural proofing in 2003/04 find?

Nationally, the Countryside Agency continued to find steady year-on-year progress, with a growing list of policy issues being subjected to some assessment of their implications for rural areas. Often policies were being amended or refined to take account of rural issues; to try and ensure that rural communities or areas benefit.

Nevertheless, the rural proofing records of individual departments were variable, with continuing good performers and improvers, but with a couple of weaker performers still remaining. At the regional level, last year’s positive start by the regional Government Offices was sustained.

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How will better evidence be used to improve rural proofing?

By making rural performance public through regular reporting, we will provide the basis for a dialogue about what constitutes fair access to good quality public services in rural areas. To achieve this we will:

  • employ the new rural definition to add a rural data marker to service monitoring data, where it can be done without disproportionate cost or burden
  • this will provide better evidence of trends in rural services;
  • work with other Government Departments to introduce regular reporting on progress towards PSA targets with a rural dimension, and include a rural analysis in our annual report Opportunity for All.

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Are rural areas more deprived than other areas?

Generally no. However, there are areas of rural deprivation which suffer from economic weaknesses with associated social deprivation, and also more affluent areas where there is a disadvantaged minority that suffers from social exclusion. The nature of rural deprivation is not always straightforward and is often different from that in urban areas, and this is why it is necessary to develop an evidence base specifically looking at rural areas.

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Regional Prioritisation

Will regional and local partners have greater involvement in delivering Defra’s rural strategy?

A key aspect of the rural delivery reforms is greater devolution from Defra itself, to national, regional and local delivery partners. Defra will focus on defining national policy objectives and outcomes, rather than the detail of local delivery. National policy objectives will be expressed through regionally and locally identified priorities, and there will be clearer links with other regional to local strategies (especially Regional Economic Strategies, Regional Spatial Strategies and Community Strategies). Delivery can then be planned, and resources targeted, in response to individual regional and local circumstances.

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Who will co-ordinate the development of regional priorities?

For economic and social regeneration, Government Offices will be central to the success of this new approach. Defra will be asking each Government Office, outside London, to work with their regional and local partners to develop a “regional rural delivery framework” that sets out the regional priorities for rural areas and identifies how partners will take this forward.

For environmental priorities, regional priorities to deliver PSA targets will be determined by the new Integrated Agency as well as by existing partners, such as the Environment Agency.

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What key outcomes do Defra want to achieve from regional rural delivery frameworks?

The regional rural delivery frameworks should identify clear priorities for rural delivery in each region that reflect regional and sub-regional needs and opportunities. Resource allocation should then be aligned, to the extent possible, to those priorities. They should also identify opportunities to simplify the way services are delivered to customers.

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Who will be involved in developing and contributing to these frameworks?

Government Offices will of course need to engage with and lever in the powers, resources, skills and experience of key decision-makers and delivery agents in the region. These will include Regional Development Agencies, Elected Regional Assemblies, the Integrated Agency (when it is established and the Countryside Agency, English Nature and Rural Development Service until then), the Environment Agency, National Parks, local government, business support organisations, other key service providers and partnerships (e.g. AONBs, tourism groups etc.) and the community and voluntary sector. The New Countryside Agency will also be engaged by Government Offices, so that it can fulfil its watchdog function on behalf of rural communities.

Where regional co-ordination structures and joined up working relationships exist, Government Offices will build on and develop these.

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Will customers have any say in these frameworks?

Defra is keen that rural customers should have a strong voice in this work, especially so that thinking on priorities and delivery mechanisms is informed by their experiences. Regional Rural Affairs Forums have an important role to play in this and it is important that their membership reflects the main customer interests. Government Offices will review the operation and membership of the Forums that they support in order to ensure they can play an effective role in informing regional policy and delivery thinking. Ministers will engage directly with Regional Forums, to improve Defra’s direct understanding of the pressures, challenges and opportunities in each region.

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Local Delivery Pathfinders

What is the purpose of the pathfinders?

The purpose is to explore options for ways in which organisations can work better together, to see how rural development activities can be delivered more effectively. The solutions developed will provide good practice proposals that may be applicable across England.

These pathfinders will, essentially, be demonstrations that should allow thinking to take place about how to make delivery more effective at the local level, charting a way forward in developing local solutions to improving delivery.

There are no fixed ideas - we want to see what works and what barriers there are to achieving better delivery. A key aspect will be to examine local funding streams with a view to prioritisation, with commitment on our side to do all we can to target resources according to the local priorities that are set.

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How many pathfinders will there be? And where will they take place?

Eight pathfinder projects will take place - one in each of the regions except London. Proposals for each of the pathfinder areas will be brought forward by each Government Office, having consulted partners, by September 2004.

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How will these areas be chosen?

Each area will be chosen by the relevant Government Office in consultation with regional partners. The selections will aim to test working relationships in a wide range of circumstances. This includes working in areas with different rural priorities, local government structures, funding flows, special landscapes and economic conditions.

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What will happen with the results and findings of the pathfinders?

The experiences, findings and outcomes of the pathfinders will be evaluated and transferable knowledge will be shared with partners. Dissemination of this information is key to the success of the pathfinders in supporting future arrangements across the country.

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Who will lead the pathfinders?

The principal local authority for the area concerned - which may cover a National Park or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - working in partnership with other relevant bodies (including Regional Development Agencies).

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How does this link to other Government efforts to improve local delivery?

We envisage their being linked, where appropriate, to relevant second generation Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA) targets and we also see them possibly being able to develop into Local Area Agreements (LAAs). This thinking is being developed with ODPM, which is planning to run LAA pilots within a similar timescale. We hope that at least one ‘pathfinder’ area will be coincident with an LAA pilot.

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What are the benefits of this pathfinder approach for Defra?

There are a number of potential benefits from this approach:

  • a relatively quick, but controlled, lead into greater local involvement in prioritisation and planning of rural delivery;
  • an opportunity to test cultural and organisational change due to Defra’s revised delivery arrangements and the importance of linking up within a sustainable development framework (e.g. Integrated Agency, role of RDAs);
  • an opportunity to develop a menu of approaches, building on existing mechanisms and good practice where appropriate, that can be adapted and adopted in other areas;
  • a practical test of Defra’s simplified funding streams and the Local Area Agreement model in rural areas;
  • the underpinning of regional rural delivery frameworks with worked up and detailed local delivery models;
  • an examination of local funding streams and the identification of opportunities to use them more effectively.

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What are the benefits of this pathfinder approach for local stakeholders?

There are a number of potential benefits from this approach for stakeholders:

  • opportunity to demonstrate local leadership role and strategic influence;
  • opportunity to develop robust arrangements that lead to greater local discretion and control, potentially making local partnerships more effective;
  • delivery of local sustainable development, with potential to discuss targets that can be embedded within LPSAs;
  • opportunity to link greater devolution of rural policy delivery to other elements of Government’s emerging strategy for local government (e.g. Local Area Agreements);
  • opportunity to target messages to key regional and central Government partners and play a full role in policy development and implementation.

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Regional Development Agencies

What will be the role of the Regional Development Agencies in controlling delivery of the socio-economic (project-based) measures of the successor ERDP?

The Rural Strategy 2004 set out the Government’s decision to give the RDAs control over the socio-economic (Project Based) funds of the successor to the England Rural Development Programme. The Government envisaged this to mean that the RDAs would:

  • Within the overall strategic purpose set by Defra for the funding, and the legal framework set by the EU Regulation from 2007, take strategic decisions on what outcomes the funds should be used to achieve to meet regional and local priorities;
  • Decide how funds should be targeted for delivery, within the Rural Regional Delivery Framework to ensure integration with other resources;
  • Carry out strategic performance management to ensure delivery of outcomes.

To achieve early coherence of targeting of funds, the Government also decided, in the Rural Strategy, that the RDAs should, from now, play a greater role in decisions on regional prioritisation, by taking the lead on setting the regional targeting statements and through participation on the Regional Appraisal Panels.

The Government has not reached any decision on how the socio-economic funds of the new RDR will be delivered, and by whom, from January 2007. The first option under consideration is for the RDAs also to assign/arrange delivery, as well as having control over what the funds are used for.

Ministers will wish to take a number of factors into account in deciding this issue, in particular:

  • Achieving the objectives of the Rural Strategy to streamline funding and maximise leverage from the use of Defra funds;
  • Achieving the objectives of the Rural Strategy to improve the customer experience, including by streamlining delivery arrangements through partnership working (to be further explored in the regional frameworks and local pathfinders);
  • Achieving the objectives of the Rural Strategy to have a single IT-based handling system for all Defra rural funds. Defra will be looking at the scope for standardising on our new IT system, Genesis, to be rolled out in 2005, as this has been designed to provide support for administering all the ERDP schemes, both agri-environment and project based schemes. Genesis will also provide comprehensive management information for all schemes, which will help enable integrated delivery across the ERDP schemes even if this is through different organisations. Genesis was designed to be locationally and organisationally independent, anticipating delivery through different organisations;
  • Achieving the objectives of the Rural Strategy in terms of maintaining the stock of rural expertise available in delivery organisations, such as the Rural Development Service;
  • The nature of the EU legal framework for the new RDR;
  • Ownership and management of the risk of EU disallowance.

Defra is working with the RDS, RDAs and others to determine a way ahead for the delivery aspects of the socio-economic funds, in parallel with negotiations in the EU on the new RDR; RDAs will be part of the decision-making process. And even if it is not possible, at the very beginning of the next programme period (January 2007), to delegate to RDAs freedom to assign or arrange delivery we expect to be able to move to allowing such freedom early in the next programme period.

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What will be the impact of regional rural delivery frameworks on RDAs?

Direction and prioritisation of RDA investment in rural areas will be supported and informed by the proposed regional rural delivery frameworks. This will provide an opportunity for RDAs to work with regional and local partners to plan investments in the context of national policy and sustainable development principles.

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How will RDAs’ priorities be set?

As announced in the Spending Review 2004, the Government is introducing a new strategic “tasking framework” for the RDAs, to ensure that stretching targets are aligned to Regional Economic Strategies and relevant departmental Public Service Agreement targets. This will set the outcomes and deliverables that departments can expect of RDAs. This tasking framework will be in place by April 2005. Defra is fully engaged in the development of this tasking framework.

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How will the success of RDAs be measured?

Defra will expect the RDAs to ensure that the needs of rural people are addressed in regional-level strategies and delivery plans, in active partnership with local government and other partners at the regional and sub-regional level. This will provide greater flexibility in how our funding is used to address disadvantage. As part of new tasking arrangements for RDAs, we anticipate holding the RDAs accountable for delivery of our PSA targets on rural productivity and services within a clear sustainable development context.

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Government Offices

What will be the role of Government Offices in delivering Defra’s rural strategy?

Government Offices will ensure regional rural delivery arrangements fit within a sustainable development framework and are consistent with other regional strategies, and that they are mutually reinforcing, with all regional strategies ‘rural proofed’. The processes put in place should build on existing mechanisms, and build on good practice in relationship-building and partnership ways of working.

Government Offices also have a valuable ongoing role to play in helping to build capacity in the voluntary and community sector. From April 2005, Defra will deliver rural social and community programmes, currently managed by the Countryside Agency, largely through Government Offices.

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Local Government

What will be the role of local authorities in delivering Defra’s rural strategy?

Defra recognises the crucial role played by local authorities in delivering on the ground, and the value they bring in looking across the pillars of sustainable development.

The role of local authorities in the regional decision-making process will be strengthened through the arrangements at regional level, where they are expected to have a strong input into regional prioritisation and delivery planning.

Selected local authorities will lead pathfinder projects.

Defra will work with local authorities, through Government Offices, to develop second generation local PSAs, drawing on the rural evidence base and emerging regional rural delivery frameworks.

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Voluntary and Community Sector

How will the voluntary and community sector be involved in the new arrangements at a regional and local level?

An important element of the regional prioritisation process will be the involvement of key delivery partners, such as social and environmental voluntary and community sector organisations, in the regional decision-making process.

They will have a key role in targeting social exclusion, which the voluntary and community sector are often better at doing than statutory services.

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How will Defra support the voluntary and community sector?

Defra will sustain investment in the rural voluntary sector to strengthen local capacity and improve the usefulness of community buildings alongside similar funding from the Home Office.

42 voluntary and community sector consortiums, across the existing and former shire counties, have put together proposals outlining an investment plan for their county to improve the support available for frontline voluntary and community sector bodies. Each consortium will receive funding to invest in their county and additional funding will be available where there is clear evidence of need.

Furthermore, Defra will continue to provide dedicated support to the rural voluntary and community sector, particularly the Rural Community Councils as leading voluntary organisations in their areas. This strategic support and other existing and new programmes to support grass roots community work will be delivered largely through Government Offices. This will build on the existing links to other voluntary and community sector capacity building funds being administered by Government Offices. Defra will be consulting with voluntary and community sector partners on the future shape of these programmes.

Funding has been provided this year to Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), the national association of Rural Community Councils, to help them improve the consistency and quality of Rural Community Councils’ performance.

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Parish Councils

How will Defra support Parish Councils?

We will continue to work with ODPM to successfully deliver the Quality Parish Initiative and strengthen parish councils generally. Our objective is to develop parish councils as drivers for local community action, services and regeneration.

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Regional Assemblies

What will be the role of Regional Assemblies in delivering Defra’s rural strategy?

Regional Assemblies as currently constituted will be involved in the regional co-ordination process. Regional Sustainable Development frameworks, currently co-ordinated by Regional Assemblies, will form an important part of the range of regional strategies and frameworks that will provide the context for regional rural delivery frameworks.

In the future Elected Regional Assemblies, if they come into existence, will have a significant impact on regional planning, with the Assemblies, subject to their final remit, likely to take on the key leadership role at a regional level.

It is also proposed that from 2007 RDAs should have control over the economic and social elements of EU co-financed rural development programmes, subject to the outcome of negotiations in the EU on the new Rural Development Regulation. RDAs would become accountable to elected assemblies in those regions where assemblies are established. Assemblies would therefore oversee this work and thus play an important strategic and advisory role on rural social and economic policy. Elected regional assemblies would be expected to engage with regional partners in leading the continuing development of regional rural delivery frameworks. Assemblies’ general purposes would enable them to take action to deliver rural development and regeneration, including spending money.

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A Strong Rural Voice - Listened to by Government

How will the Government listen at a national level?

The Government will hear the views of rural people through the full package of new arrangements being introduced as part of the Rural Strategy. These include the rural advocacy work of the New Countryside Agency and Rural Advocate (the Chair of the Countryside Agency and, in future, of the New Countryside Agency), the first-hand feedback provided by the new annual national conference and the regular meetings Ministers will have with the chairs of the Regional Rural Affairs Forums or their successor bodies.

The Government will, of course, also continue to have close relations with rural stakeholder organisations.

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How will the Government listen at a regional/local level?

In line with the principles of devolution, the Government will encourage the regions to ensure that the grassroots perspective influences regional decision-making on issues affecting rural people and communities. This may involve using or building on the existing Regional Rural Affairs Forums to provide a voice into decision-making at regional level.

In addition, Ministers will engage with the Regional Rural Affairs Forums or their successor bodies by attending their meetings, as opportunity arises, and through a regular programme of quarterly meetings with their chairs, which will ensure that the voices of people, communities and businesses in the regions are heard at the highest level.

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What will happen to the Rural Affairs Forum for England?

The Rural Affairs Forum for England will be subsumed by these arrangements. It will no longer be needed as a separate structure. The new annual conference will provide a sounding board, while the New Countryside Agency’s rural advocacy function and the clearer focus being given to listening to the voice of rural people on the ground through the new regional arrangements will ensure that Ministers know what rural people think.

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But didn’t Lord Haskins recommend it should be strengthened?

Yes he did, but in order to take over advisory functions from the Countryside Agency. The creation of a New Countryside Agency means this is not needed.

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What will happen to the regional Rural Affairs Forums?

The new regional rural delivery frameworks will ensure that rural people have a voice in regional decision-making.

It will be up to the regions to determine how best this voice should be captured, but the regional Rural Affairs Forums could play an important role or provide a ready basis for the development of new arrangements.

The current Forums or their successor bodies will be significant bodies at regional level and will have direct access to Ministers, who will attend regional forum meetings, as opportunity arises, and who will meet with regional forum chairs regularly.

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What will the annual conference involve?

The annual rural conference will be a major event designed to bring together a wide range of rural stakeholders to consider rural issues in the round. It will build on the successful conferences previously organised under the aegis of the Rural Affairs Forum for England.

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Streamlining Rural Funding Streams and Advice

What was the scope of the rural funding streams review?

The review covered rural social, economic and environmental funding streams. It included biodiversity/agri-environment and the farming and food industries, both of which have a key role in rural areas but which are not confined to rural England.

The scope of the review did not include Common Agricultural Policy Pillar 1 subsidies, which are already undergoing major reform.

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What did the review find?

The review has made a number of recommendations, principally that Defra should work with its agencies and partners to:

  • create a simplified funding framework of around three major funds based on our strategic objectives - Natural Resource Protection, Sustainable Food and Farming and Sustainable Rural Communities;
  • achieve greater devolution of delivery of funding;
  • simplify administrative procedures; and
  • improve advisory services for customers (in line also with findings of the Learning, Skills and Knowledge review) through:
    • an integrated information service via a helpline & website;
    • an improved service for rural businesses via Business Links.

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What will each individual fund look like?

Different delivery arrangements will apply to each fund. However a number of design principles will apply, as far as they contribute to the review’s aims of simplification for customers, better targeting and improved efficiency in achieving policy objectives:

  • a single customer face, even where the resource is drawn from several sources such as the exchequer and the European Union;
  • accessible, high quality information and advice, to ensure that customers are clear what funds are available and for what types of project;
  • evidence-based targeting, based on greatest needs and greatest impact, with clear guidance at an early stage on whether customers are eligible for funding;
  • simplified processes that are quicker and easier to use and avoid imposing unnecessary detail or bureaucracy on rural customers; and
  • customer choice between traditional, paper based applications or the use of electronic transactions using improved IT.

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What is happening to the England Rural Development Programme?

Work will continue on making the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) schemes simpler for applicants and more effective at delivering public outcomes. The new Entry Level Stewardship will be much simpler than the existing agri-environment schemes and appeal to a wider range of land managers. Scheme guidance and application forms are being redesigned so that they are simpler and more direct. Introduction of improved IT systems within the Rural Development Service, and changes to ensure more integrated and customer-focused teams, will continue.

The Entry Level and Higher Level Stewardship elements of the ERDP will in effect be a menu of options, with particular levels of payments depending on which options are chosen.

Following the review of funding streams, work on the next round of European Union rural development programming - from 2007 - will involve delivery bodies being given greater flexibility. We will also make simplification of the European Union regulations an important element in our negotiating position with our European Union partners.

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Will current funding commitments be affected?

Defra will honour all existing funding commitments. As and when individual schemes come to an end, Defra policy aims will be funded in a way that is consistent with the proposed new funding framework.

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How will services be organised?

Defra is asking partners at regional and sub-regional level to work together to identify priorities for rural areas in their region. As part of this process regional partners will identify opportunities for simplification of the way services are delivered to customers through improved cooperation between delivery organisations. Defra is also planning sub-regional pathfinders to explore how best the benefits of improved partnership working in delivery can be achieved.

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Integrated Agency

Who have you involved in the development of the Integrated Agency?

We have involved a wide range of stakeholders from the start. Lord Haskins consulted a wide variety of interested parties as part of his Rural Delivery Review. Defra has worked closely with the delivery bodies and other interested stakeholder organisations in taking forward the agenda set by the Secretary of State last November.

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What will its geographical coverage be and how will it be organised - on a national, regional and/or local basis?

The Integrated Agency will have a national, regional and local structure throughout England with the regions organised according to Government Office regional boundaries. Within each region it will require a strong presence on the ground in order to work effectively with a range of partners at the local level. It will also have a strong regional focus, to ensure that its voice is heard when regional strategies are developed.

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What status will the Integrated Agency have and will it require legislation?

The Integrated Agency will be a statutory, independent executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). Formal creation of the Integrated Agency with this status will require primary legislation.

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Will you be publishing a White/Green Paper in advance of the draft bill on the Integrated Agency?

We intend to publish a draft bill as soon as possible. This will provide ample opportunity for the wider debate around the Integrated Agency. We are not clear that publishing a White Paper in the interim would add value.

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Why is primary legislation needed?

Primary legislation will be needed to:

  • establish the Integrated Agency in statute as a Non-Departmental Public Body, with a strong voice at national, regional and local level;
  • formally establish English Nature’s statutory functions plus the Countryside Agency’s environmental, landscape, access and recreational responsibilities and the relevant responsibilities of the Rural Development Service within the new Integrated Agency;
  • enable the New Countryside Agency to be formally established in its new form;
  • create new powers as appropriate and deal with necessary consequential amendments.

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Can any progress be made towards setting up the Integrated Agency without primary legislation?

Yes. While formally employed by their parent organisations, the staff of the 'confederated' partner organisations will drive forward the process of working as a single partnership team during the formative phase.

We will begin the process of providing common terms and conditions for staff, so that there are no artificial barriers to staff interchange and staff can work alongside each other in close partnership.

We will start to co-locate teams, making maximum use of break clauses in leases, to help close partnership working and make efficiency savings.

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Who will the Integrated Agency be answerable to and/or how independent will it be?

As a statutory executive NDPB the Integrated Agency will be independent, at arms length from Government. The Integrated Agency will be answerable to Parliament and the Secretary of State for the exercise of its functions.

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Why doesn’t the Integrated Agency cover all rural issues?

The Integrated Agency will be the statutory champion for nature conservation, biodiversity, landscape, access, countryside recreation and environmental land management. Other bodies will have the primary responsibility for the delivery of services and encouraging socio-economic development in rural areas, in particular local authorities and Regional Development Agencies.

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How will the Integrated Agency affect farmers?

Major challenges lie ahead in terms of improving overall environmental quality, a substantial expansion of agri-environment measures and major changes in land management resulting from CAP Reform. The Integrated Agency will bring together three of the organisations responsible for delivering this agenda in England to eliminate overlap, ensure a more coherent approach to delivery and develop simpler, more effective relationships with land managers and others, so that we are ready to meet the challenges ahead.

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How will the Integrated Agency engage local communities?

The Agency will work with partners to engage all sections of the community in enhancing their local environment, recognising the strong links that exist between environmental quality and programmes for social and economic regeneration.

We expect that the Integrated Agency will build on the work of existing bodies in targeting efforts on the young, for example, working with schools and outdoor education providers. It will promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the countryside through initiatives like Farming and Countryside Education, Growing Schools, the Forest Education Initiative and the Forest School.

It will also work with disadvantaged groups, such as English Nature’s partnership with Phoenix House (that helps substance misusers in the Derbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve end their dependence). This helps enhance the well-being of participants through working alongside a conservation officer on projects such as building dry stone walls for example.

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What marine responsibilities will the Integrated Agency have?

The Integrated Agency will take on all English Nature’s marine responsibilities, including the role of providing scientific advice to Government on matters relating to marine nature conservation within English territorial waters.

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What difference, if any, will the Integrated Agency make to planning authorities?

At present, both English Nature and the Countryside Agency are statutory consultees in the planning process, advising planning authorities on the nature conservation and landscape implications of development. The Integrated Agency will take on these advisory roles in the planning process.

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How is the Integrated Agency going to take social and economic questions into consideration?

The Integrated Agency will promote the wider social and economic benefits of a high quality environment and will collaborate with a wide range of partners to deliver successful action on these issues. It will have a remit of carrying out its specific activities within a sustainable development framework.

For example, it will work with the Regional Development Agencies to ensure that regional economic strategies deliver economic benefit through good environmental practice, and vice versa. At local level, the Integrated Agency will work with local authorities to improve local environmental quality and recreational opportunities.

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How will the Integrated Agency affect the general public?

The Integrated Agency will provide a range of benefits and services to the public, for example working with local authorities to improve the quantity and quality of local green space and improving opportunities for outdoor recreation in the countryside.

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How will the Integrated Agency affect small local businesses?

The Integrated Agency will provide advice and incentives to land managers, most of whom are small businesses, for example through the England Rural Development Programme’s agri-environment schemes.

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Have disability groups been included in the plans?

The Integrated Agency will continue the work of the Countryside Agency on the Diversity Review (research into and the promotion of increased access to the countryside for under represented groups, including the disabled). The Integrated Agency will also continue the expansion of disabled access to National Nature Reserves.

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Is the Integrated Agency going to be responsible for the project based schemes under the England Rural Development Programme?

The Government intends that the Regional Development Agencies will have control over the project-based elements of the European Rural Development Programme (ERDP)'s from 2007 when the new European Rural Development Regulation comes into force. This is to ensure that funding for economic and social regeneration is pulled together to best effect in rural areas. However, issues relating to the control of EU funding will have to be resolved before precise delivery arrangements can be finalised. In the meantime, the Rural Development Service will continue to deliver the project based schemes under the present programme, but with the RDAs playing a greater role in decisions on regional prioritisation under the existing ERDP arrangements.

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What regulatory powers will the Integrated Agency have?

Initially, English Nature, the Countryside Agency and Rural Development Service will work jointly within their existing statutory powers. The formative period of partnership working will, as well as bringing delivery benefits, allow us to test our ideas for the statutory functions and powers required in the draft bill, to see if we might need to add to existing powers, in order better to preserve and open up our natural heritage.

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Will it really be called the Integrated Agency?

The name of the Integrated Agency will be settled in due course, as part of the process of developing the cultural strengths of English Nature, the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service into a new, distinct organisation.

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Will Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) lose their independence?

No. The responsibilities of the Countryside Agency for sponsoring AONBs will transfer to the Integrated Agency. This will not affect the status or independence of AONBs.

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How will AONBs receive their funding, under the new arrangements?

AONB partnerships currently receive core funding from the Countryside Agency. This funding relationship will continue through the Integrated Agency as it assumes the landscape, access and recreation responsibilities of the Countryside Agency.

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Will the National Parks lose contact with Defra when the Integrated Agency is set up?

No. The National Parks’ sponsorship relationship with Defra will not be directly affected by the creation of the Integrated Agency.

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Will the National Parks have to compete for funding under the new arrangements?

The establishment of the Integrated Agency will not affect the nature of the funding arrangements. The National Parks currently receive core funding directly from Defra. This relationship will continue.

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How will the National Parks relate to the Integrated Agency?

National Parks will be key partners for the Integrated Agency, building on the Parks’ relationships with the existing bodies, to ensure that effort and funding is focussed on delivering benefit to the customers - whether land managers, other residents, visitors or the taxpayer.

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How will governance arrangements for the Rural Development Service (RDS) be strengthened in the interim period before formal establishment of the Integrated Agency?

We believe it is important for RDS to have a clear voice to speak for its staff and its business concerns, and to be as powerful a player in the creation of the Integrated Agency as English Nature and the Countryside Agency. New arrangements to be put in place will include RDS moving out of the policy core of Defra from April 2005; appointment of non-executives to form a Strategic Board that will champion RDS during the transition period; preparation of a Framework Document and supporting Service Level Agreements to define the relationship with Defra policy customers and central service providers; enhancement of our financial reporting and monitoring; and designating the Head of RDS as Chief Executive. The detail will be worked out over the next few months, in consultation with the RDS.

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Bio-diversity and Natural Resource Protection

How will the Integrated Agency interact with the Environment Agency?

The Integrated Agency and the Environment Agency will have distinct roles, but they will work in close partnership to avoid overlaps and to ensure that what they do is both complementary and mutually reinforcing.

The Environment Agency was created in 1996 with the express remit to cover the protection and enhancement of natural resources, namely air, land and water and the use of land and water for recreational purposes. It includes the regulation of waste disposal, the control of pollution from industry and the reduction of the risk to people, property and the environment from flooding.

Many organisations contribute to the overall aims of natural resource protection. For example, local authorities have responsibilities for local air quality and water companies have responsibilities to maintain and enhance the quality of water. This is why it is important that organisations work together in partnership - a key principle of Modernising Rural Delivery.

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How will you ensure that UK Biodiversity Action Plan and the Biodiversity Strategy for England are delivered?

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan and Biodiversity Strategy for England set the framework and targets for biodiversity, seeking to integrate the conservation of biodiversity into the delivery of other policies and programmes taking account of the biodiversity impacts of society’s activities.

Working with a broad set of stakeholders at national, regional and local level, English Nature and the Rural Development Service have played a leading role in the development and delivery of these programmes, for example, through the delivery of agri-environment schemes and species recovery programmes. The Integrated Agency will build on this combined experience and expertise, working with others to deliver improvements for biodiversity across rural, urban, marine and coastal England.

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How does this link to Community Strategies and Local Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs)?

The Local Government Act 2000 requires local authorities to prepare Community Strategies for the economic, social and environmental well-being of their areas and these need to reflect the contribution that biodiversity will make, building on existing Local Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs). These Local BAPs form a key means of implementing the national Biodiversity Strategy, engaging the range of partners at the local level.

As the lead body on the delivery of the Government’s targets for biodiversity, the Integrated Agency will be a key stakeholder in Local BAPs. It will work with partners, such as local authorities, to provide advice and support in relation to their responsibilities for biodiversity, as well as seeking to ensure that Community Strategies integrate environmental, social and economic development programmes effectively.

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Forestry Commission

Why is responsibility for forestry policy in England transferring from Forestry Commission to Defra?

In his October 2003 “Rural Delivery Review” report, Lord Haskins recommended a clear separation of accountability for policy and delivery functions. Consistent with this principle of separation, he recommended that the policy development role of the Forestry Commission in England should be transferred to Defra. The Secretary of State accepts this recommendation, to ensure that forestry policy is fully integrated with land use and management policy across the board.

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Will transfer mean that the individual voice of the forestry sector in Government will be lost?

No. The Forestry Commission will still exist. At same time, creation of a Forestry Policy Unit in Defra will give forestry a stronger voice in rural and land management policy development matters on which Defra already leads. We expect the Unit to include one or more forestry professionals.

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Does transfer in England mean that similar transfers will take place in Scotland and Wales?

Decisions on how forestry policy and delivery matters are best dealt with and by whom are a matter for the individual countries concerned.

The Forestry Commission’s remit does not extend to Northern Ireland.

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What are the resource implications of transfer of forestry policy work from the Forestry Commission to Defra?

Over time the change is expected to be broadly neutral when taken in conjunction with the transfer of farm woodland premium delivery-type work from Defra HQ to the Forestry Commission.

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When will transfer of forestry policy work take place?

It is expected that the transfer will take place by September 2004.

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What are the delivery functions transferring from Defra to the Forestry Commission?

Work relating to farm woodland grants. Subject to European Commission approval, a new English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) will bring together in a single scheme, to be administered by the Forestry Commission, woodland incentives currently provided by the FC’s Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS), Defra’s Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS), and other schemes with effect from 1 April 2005.

We are also looking at transferring to the Forestry Commission day to day responsibility for administering existing commitments under the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme and its predecessor the Farm Woodland Scheme. However, for certain practical (largely IT) reasons, this would have to take place against slightly longer timetable.

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What are the implications for the future of the FC as a separate, GB wide body?

These are separate issues. We are currently working on the presumption that the English delivery functions of the FC will be aligned with those of the new Integrated Agency. The formative phase of the Integrated Agency will include looking at the success of partnership working between the two.

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What will be the working relationship between the Integrated Agency and the Forestry Commission?

The Forestry Commission already works in close partnership with English Nature, the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service in fulfilling its mission to protect and expand our forests and woodlands and to increase their value to society and the environment. Establishing the Integrated Agency will provide a framework to develop these existing relationships and identify opportunities for greater collaborative working.

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Why is the Forestry Commission not becoming part of the Integrated Agency?

Establishing the Integrated Agency by bringing together three existing organisations will be a major undertaking. Incorporating functions of the Forestry Commission - a body with responsibilities across Great Britain - would add a further level of complexity. We’ll want first to consider the success of partnership working during the formative period of the Integrated Agency.

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Regulation and Agriculture

Better Regulation

How will Defra improve its interactions with farm businesses?

Defra wants to encourage greater co-ordination of all business relationships with farmers in terms of regulation, inspection, advice and grants:

  • the big changes brought about by CAP reform offer us an excellent opportunity to implement a new approach in the regulation of agriculture. CAP reform itself is a major deregulatory step that will cut bureaucracy for farmers by replacing ten payment schemes with one and scrapping a raft of onerous regulations;
  • the Whole Farm Approach (WFA), which is working towards an integrated solution to the regulation and support of the farming industry across the entire range of its activities, should streamline agricultural inspections and ensure that they are risk-based. It can also be used for business planning, farm assurance and environmental audit, thus minimising replication of inspection and form-filling. The WFA covers a wide range of issues relating to, for example, environmental protection, animal health and welfare, farm produce standards and health and safety;
  • the Modernising Rural Delivery programme should also reduce burdens for farmers as rural customers, by streamlining rural funding schemes and setting up the Integrated Agency.

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Why have a further look at environmental regulation?

We want to be confident that we can meet current and future regulatory requirements in the most effective way - that’s why we propose to look at the respective roles of the Environment Agency and local authorities. This is particularly important given that significant new areas of environmental regulation are in prospect, such as the Sewage Sludge directive, the Water Framework Directive and the extension of waste management controls to agricultural waste. That is why we will be carrying out a survey of the practical capacities and skills of relevant organisations in delivering co-ordinated environmental regulation. This will be concurrent with the Treasury’s Hampton review.

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Levy Boards

What kind of economies could be made?

In the short to medium-term, Defra wants to ensure that the five statutory levy-funded organisations provide good value for money for their levy payers. There should be scope for administrative savings, without legislative changes, which could encompass such functions as communications, research and development, technology/knowledge transfer, IT, legal services, human resources, finance and levy collection.

The levy-funded organisations are also looking to improve co-ordination on cross-cutting and strategic issues. Defra has asked the levy-funded organisations for a detailed assessment of possible economies and synergies which would form the basis of a formal programme aimed at reducing duplication and overlap.

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Why have a further review?

To address more fundamental issues, Defra, in partnership with the Devolved Administrations, will establish an independent review to address strategic questions such as: the extent to which existing organisations and functions remain appropriate, including whether a statutory levy should be retained; whether existing bodies might be merged, the relationship with non - producer parts of the chain; the interface with Government; and the inter-relationship with other private and public sector bodies in the agriculture, food and rural arenas.

The underpinning context would be an assessment of the needs of both the industry and Government as the UK moves through very significant changes for agriculture and food supply chains in general - not least the implications of the CAP reform agreement of June 2003.

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Reducing Burdens on Rural Businesses

How will the Rural Strategy reduce burdens on rural businesses?

Rural business people will benefit from a more simplified and coherent support service structure in rural areas that is relevant to them and to the area in which they work and live. The review of rural funding streams and modernising their delivery arrangements will also simplify access to services, providing a customer focussed interface for advice and support and streamlining the applications process to remove unnecessary burdens on rural businesses (through simpler forms and simplified administrative systems).

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Rural Definition

What is the new rural definition?

The new rural definition identifies the different types of settlements in which people live in rural areas - these include small towns, villages, and hamlets and scattered dwellings. Because of this single underlying criterion, the definition can be used with other information, such as housing type, car ownership and household incomes, to give a valid means of understanding how these measures vary within rural areas. As such it is a more useful statistical tool than our preceding approaches to defining rural areas and provides a more sophisticated way of describing and understanding the differences between rural areas to help us and others apply the available evidence to target policy to those groups, communities and businesses who most require support. (For us, this means being better able to deliver the priorities in Rural Strategy 2004.)

The new definition has two components: the first identifies the form of settlements under 10,000 population (those over 10,000 are defined using ODPM's urban areas definition, which has been in place since 1981); and the second identifies the wider geographic context in which settlements are located. This has led to a new classification of rural areas comprising 'rural towns', 'rural villages' or 'dispersed dwellings' in either 'sparsely' populated areas or 'less sparsely' populated areas.

The definition is technically complex - however, a comprehensive methodology paper is available on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website which sets out how the definition was developed and the process by which it was validated and peer-reviewed.

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Is there a district level definition?

The rural definition launched on 21 July 2004 is not based on district or county level administrative boundaries (a ward level definition exists and can be downloaded from ONS website). But we are looking to develop a definition at the district level to be available in due course.

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Who loses out as a result of the new rural definition?

This is not about losing out. This is about understanding better what is happening where in rural England. The new definition, alongside developments in data collection - such as the increasing availability of post coded datasets - provides a tool which can help pinpoint areas of greatest need. For example, by analysing the social and economic characteristics of rural areas at a more local scale, we can identify smaller pockets of deprivation in otherwise prosperous areas.

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Will market towns lose out?

Market towns will not lose out as a result of the new rural definition. Although the new definition has a 'cut off' of 10,000 population, which is below the population size of some market towns, this is for statistical purposes only, and not as a means of targeting policy or delivery. We have no intention to form policy on the basis of a 10,000 population cut off and others shouldn't either.

In relation to current market town programmes (substantively delivered through Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)), the policy remains that market towns that need help to function as service centres and drivers of economic well being for rural areas should remain a target regardless of whether they have a population of under or over 10,000. In fact, most RDAs adopt a definition of 'market town' up to 20,000 population, some go as far as 30,000. We don't expect any RDA will change this view as a result of the new definition and we would not expect them to do so.

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So why a 10,000 population cut off for rural areas?

The 10,000 population figure is a government agreed threshold, in place since 1981, with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister defining anything over this as 'urban' - this has not changed. The 10,000 population 'cut off' is useful for statistical purposes but not as a means of targeting policy or delivery. Policy and delivery will be targeted according to need. The rural definition, along with the other new evidence set out in the Rural Strategy, will help us to understand that need better, and in particular how it is affected by different patterns of rural populations, and the relative difficulty of delivering services to them.

It is clear that some towns above 10,000 population are very important to rural areas, people and businesses and indeed often see themselves as being 'rural towns'. Many of these towns with populations over 10,000 are being helped under the Market Towns Initiative, led by Regional Development Agencies, and can continue to be so.

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Will Defra funding in the future only go to areas defined as 'rural'?

The definition is to help us gather better information, which will help us better target need. It is not about setting an artificial distinction between rural and urban. On the contrary, as the Rural Strategy states, our new evidence shows that the distinction between rural and urban areas is increasingly blurred. And the arrangements we are putting in place are aimed at joining up urban and rural strategies, rather than having an artificial distinction.

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Will the new rural definition affect how other Government Departments' money is spent?

For the first time, the new definition allows Government to define rurality in a transparent, consistent and rigorous way. It allows us to examine in detail and focus on the kinds of places that people live in; either small towns, villages or hamlets and isolated dwellings. By doing so, it enables Government Departments to assess how best to deliver services to different patterns of rural and urban populations and to target appropriate resources to those most in need.

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Where can I find a list of what is rural and what is not? How can I work out if 'x' is rural?

The new rural definition can be found on the ONS website - where there is a useful introductory guide and more comprehensive methodology paper. More detailed information can also be found in Annex A of Rural Strategy 2004.

A map of England and Wales showing the urban/rural classification of Census Output Areas (smaller than ward level) is available on the ONS website (also Figure 4, Annex A of Rural Strategy 2004).

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Page last modified: 19 May, 2005
Page published: 11 November, 2003

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs